When Iver woke up, it was still pitch-black outside.
"...Three in the morning."
He smacked his lips, hesitating. "Should I... sleep a little longer?"
But after seeing the Path Trait he had just obtained, Iver got up, intending to give it a try.
—Let's feed the shadow demon a little first and see how it rates the taste.
However, when Iver cut his finger, he suddenly remembered that his Path Power was currently out of balance. He still couldn't use the Shepherding Method for the next half a month.
"...It doesn't matter."
As the shadow demon's syrupy whisper rang out, the shadow beneath his feet crawled up along his legs and spread to the tips of his right fingers, wrapping around them.
It deliberately made sucking noises and mumbled indistinctly, "I don't mind."
"Can you draw power from flesh and blood without using the Shepherding Method?" Iver couldn't help asking as he watched the shadow demon drink with relish.
"Of course... that's impossible."
The shadow demon chuckled softly. "The advanced superhumans of the Path of Love over at Iris have at least ten percent of Flesh Dedication. If they could let phantoms grow stronger at will, wouldn't that be absurd?"
"Then how does it taste?" Iver seriously consulted his customer, seeking feedback on the new product.
"Compared to the holy blood from the Shepherding Method, it's just average."
The shadow demon gave a fair assessment. "But I don't mind... There's still a little flavor. Hmm... it's like the cold water you pour into a cup after drinking lemonade. It has a bit of taste, at least."
That was still quite a ways off.
"Then stop drinking. You're wasting my blood."
Iver waved his hand, smacking the shadow demon—which was plastered over his fingertips like mud—back onto the floor with a